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 East central Idaho consists of nine diverse counties: Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison and Teton Counties. The area grew by over 36,500 during the decade, with Madison, Teton, Jefferson and Bonneville counties experiencing the largest amount of growth. Bonneville and Jefferson counties were established as the Idaho Falls metropolitan statistical area from the 2000 Census count.
The unemployment rate for east central Idaho is extremely low compared to the state and the nation. While 2008 will show an increase, the area is still the lowest in the state. Diversity in the economy along with the Idaho National Laboratory keeps the area from experiencing major fluctuations in the labor force especially when the national economy is suffering. The INL is one of the state’s largest employers and attracts workers from all of the region’s counties.
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